“Tonight is the night when dead leaves fly likes witches on switches across the sky, when elf and sprite flit through the night on a moony sheen,” begins Halloween by Harry Behn with illustrations by Greg Couch. Recommended for readers age 5 and older, this book is also a fun holiday read for younger readers and pre-readers too.
Written in rhymed verse, Halloween introduces younger readers to quite a few Halloween vocabulary words, some typical but many more less common such as sprite and gnome. The only slightly spooky story still incorporates more usual Halloween imagery such as pumpkins and ghouls. However, I appreciate the use of less common synonyms, which help with language and vocabulary development.
In addition to the rhymed story, which is fun to read aloud, even to younger toddlers and preschoolers, I also really like the illustrations. The pictures help bring the story to life. The colors are bold with a darkened hue to reflect the darkness of Halloween night. My toddler daughter liked looking at the pictures, especially the illustrations with pumpkins. Some of the pages are a little spooky but never so much as to cause nightmares in even the youngest readers.
Final Verdict: Halloween by Harry Behn with illustrations by Greg Couch is a fun rhymed Halloween story. In addition to the spooky text, the pictures help bring the story to life with colors that reflect the mysteriousness of Halloween night. If you are looking for a holiday book to read with your child, I highly recommend Halloween.
Purchase Halloween on Amazon via my affiliate link.
Image Credits
‘Halloween’ Book Review © 2013 Heather Johnson
Cover of Halloween © 2013 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of Halloween © 2013 Heather Johnson
